We will send you a brief report of our mission at Bulawayo, for three months, ending Dec. 31, 1904. But first we will say that we are feeling quite worn, having been on the mission farm for three years without a change or rest. At the invitation of the South African Union Conference Council, we have come here for a six-months' rest, and to attend the conference and camp-meeting to be held here. While we feel truly worn, our health otherwise is good. We do feel grateful to God for having given us such health and strength since coming here. I think I can truly say that none who have come to this station before us have had such strength and health as we have had. My wife has not had what could really be called a sick day. We praise God for this, and would walk humbly before him for all his love shown to us.
The labors of Sister Hyatt have also been a great help to us the past months. She has done good work. Also Brother Albert White has been with us three months, helping in the school and on the farm, and his labors were greatly appreciated by us, and enabled us to get in all the crops before leaving for our rest.
We have under cultivation this year at least one hundred and forty acres, one hundred being in mealies, sixteen in peanuts, four in Kaffir-bean, seven in myauti, ten in sweet potatoes, one in broom-corn, for trial, the rest in garden stuff, as beans, tomatoes, pumpkins, Irish potatoes, etc. Because of the drought this year, we have had to plant and replant the third time. This is the driest season we have had in the three since our coming here. But we plant in hope, expecting to reap. We were feeling quite heavy-hearted over the drought when we left the mission. But as we came along, traveling some thirteen hundred miles, we saw very little besides dead grass and barrenness. Stock is very poor, and many animals lay dead for want of food. It was dreadful to behold. I saw no farms that would compare with ours at the mission. For this we do thank God, and know as never before that he has protective care over us. We praise him.
Our stock has done only fairly well. Many of our goats and kids died with a disease called the “heart water,” owing largely to the lateness of green grass, I think. Our cattle have done better, suffering only from leanness.
We have done very little in the store, the natives bringing in only enough grain to keep the mission family in food, and there have been very few cash sales. So the finances of the mission have had a hard struggle. We have had to receive some help from the conference.
ELDER STURDEVANT'S HOME
Our school work has gone forward nicely. The children have taken hold in earnest, therefore they have improved fast. Because of the farm work, we put the school work almost entirely in the hands of Sister Hyatt and Brother White, teaching but two or three classes myself. Sister Hyatt has had the real oversight. Brother White, with the help of my wife and others, has had the care of the night-school.
For December 1, eleven of our young men began their school work out in the kraals—we call them out-stations. They could do very little the first month, owing to the fact that the children were wanted at home to dig, the rain not coming till this month. In other years most of the planting has been finished by December. Yet we hope for a good work to be done in our out-stations before the term closes. The boys certainly go out much better prepared than ever before.
The Sabbath-school work is onward. The attendance is good, and of a steady nature. Our meetings also seem to have about the same attendance, not crowds, but steady.
Our Sabbath afternoon kraal work in Bible readings has kept up its interest well, closing only because of the sending of our teachers to the out-stations, four of these still being kept up. While they were in progress, from two hundred to three hundred heard the Word every Sabbath who otherwise would not have heard it.
This gives a brief idea of what we are doing. And while we have not accomplished nearly what we would like to, we have done the best we could, we think. Our courage is good, and our only desire is the upbuilding of this people. We believe with all our hearts that the Saviour is soon coming, and we are glad for a part in helping swell the glad tidings. Dear ones at home, remember us in your prayers. We need your help in this way. The cheering reports from the home field always give us fresh courage. We are praying for the work at Washington.
